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PROCEEDINGS 


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OF  THE 


GEORGIA  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY, 

ON  OCCASION  OF  ITS 


THIRTY-SEVENTH  ANNIVERSARY, 


FEBRUARY  14,  1876. 


jfovatuuilt,  <#»•: 

Printed  for  the  society. 
1876* 


J.  H.  ESTILL,  PRINTER, 
MORNING  NEWS  STEAM  PRINTING  HOUSE, 
SAVANNAH. 


Tliis  Pamphlet  is  issued  under  instructions,  given  to  the 
under-signed  Committee,  to  publish  the  proceedings  of  the 
Georgia  Historical  Society,  in  taking  official  possession  of 
Hodgson  Hall  on  occasion  of  its  late  Anniversary.  In 
carrying  out  these  instructions,  in  order  to  add  to  the 
interest  and  value  of  the  publication,  the  opportunity  has 
been  taken  to  furnish  a  description  of  the  building  and  a 
photograph  of  the  interior  of  the  Library  Hall. 

The  Printing  and  Publishing  Committee. 

Savannah,  May  1,  187G. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofdedOOgeor_O 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HALL. 


Hodgson  Hall,  the  new  building  of  the  Georgia  His¬ 
torical  Society,  is  commemorative  of  the  late  Mr.  William 
B.  Hodgson,  and  was  erected  by  the  direction  and  at  the 
expense  of  his  widow,  Mrs.  Margaret  T.  Hodgson,  and  of 
her  sister,  Miss  Mary  Telfair.  By  a  singular  coincidence, 
during  the  time  of  its  construction,  both  of  these  venerable 
ladies  died,  but,  under  their  thoughtful  provision,  the  build¬ 
ing  was  finished  by  the  executors  of  their  estate. 

The  building  was  designed  and  the  plans  furnished  by 
Detlef  Lienau,  architect,  of  New  York  city.  The  work 
was  done  by  Savannah  mechanics,  under  the  supervision 
of  Edward  Jones,  and  after  his  death  under  that  of  his 
son,  J.  W.  Jones. 

This  fine  structure,  built  of  brick  and  stuccoed,  and 
covering  an  area  of  ninety -four  feet  by  forty-one  feet, 
stands  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Whitaker  and  Gaston 
streets,  and  fronts  eastward  on  Forsyth  Place.  Its  location 
is  convenient  and  beautiful.  The  premises  embrace  two 
lots,  together  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  feet  by  eighty- 
seven  and  one-lialf  feet,  and  are  enclosed  by  a  handsome 
iron  railing  on  granite  base.  The  exterior  of  the  Hall  is 
quite  plain,  its  architecture  being  adapted  to  the  conven¬ 
ience  and  comfort  of  the  Library  Boom.  The  front,  how¬ 
ever,  is  ornamented,  being  built  chiefly  of  brown  stone,  the 
entrance,  by  a  massive  stone  stairway  and  portico,  presenting 


6 


a  fine  appearance.  The  frieze  of  the  portico  bears  in  relief 
the  inscription,  “W.  B.  HODGSON  HALL,”  while  upon 
that  of  the  building  are  similarly  inscribed  the  words, 
“  GEORGIA  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY.”  The  whole 
exterior  appearance  of  Hodgson  Hall  is  solid  and  impres¬ 
sive,  well  befitting  the  purpose  of  its  erection. 

The  lower  or  ground  floor  is  well  arranged  for  the  uses 
and  convenience  of  the  Society.  Its  main  room,  entered 
both  from  Whitaker  and  from  Gaston  streets,  is  thirty-six 
feet  by  thirty-three  feet  in  size,  and  is  intended  for  the 
Society’s  meetings,  it  being  well  provided  with  book-cases, 
tables  and  everything  requisite  for  the  transaction  of  busi¬ 
ness.  Adjoining  this  is  the  furnace  room,  from  which 
heated  air  is  delivered  to  the  Library  Hall  above,  through 
a  register  in  the  floor.  Four  other  rooms  of  fair  size  fill 
up  this  ground  floor,  two  of  which  store  the  Society’s  miscel¬ 
laneous  property,  and  the  other  two  are  reserved  for  the 
use  of  the  janitor. 

If  the  outside  of  Hodgson  Hall  is  plain,  the  interior  of 
the  Library  Room  is  strikingly  beautiful  and  attractive. 
This  is  the  Hall  proper,  entered  directly  from  the  portico 
through  the  vestibule,  and  is  a  noble  apartment.  For 
beauty,  taste  and  convenience,  it  is  thought  to  surpass  any 
Library  Room  in  the  Southern  States.  To  the  right  of  the 
vestibule  is  the  Librarian’s  room,  and  to  the  left  the  main 
stairway  to  the  lower  floor.  The  book  shelves  run  around 
three  sides  of  the  Hall,  and  are  detached  from  the  walls, 
leaving  a  passage  way,  into  which  opens  the  lower  line  of 
windows,  used  chiefly  for  ventilation.  These  shelves  admit 
books  both  on  the  hall  side  and  in  the  passage  way,  thus 
providing  for  double  the  number  of  volumes  that  could  other¬ 
wise  be  received.  This  passage  is  well  lighted  by  gas 
brackets. 


7 


At  a  convenient  elevation  is  the  main  gallery,  reached 
by  handsome  stairs  and  running  around  the  Hall,  and  is 
enclosed  by  a  neat  iron  rail.  Book  shelves  fill  the  walls  of 
this  gallery,  from  which  there  is  a  fine  view  of  the  whole 
interior.  The  entire  shelving  of  the  Hall  will  accommodate 
over  twenty  thousand  volumes.  Above  this  gallery,  encircling 
the  whole  building,  is  a  narrower  gallery  built  for  ornament 
and  access  to  the  upper  and  main  windows,  which  furnish 
the  well-distributed  light  to  the  whole  Hall.  This  gallery  is 
accessible  only  by  the  spiral  staircase  in  the  southwest  angle, 
leading  from  the  ground  floor  to  the  roof. 

The  Hall  is  admirably  ventilated,  and  the  temperature  is 
agreeable  even  in  the  warmest  weather.  It  is  lighted  with 
gas,  there  being  sixty  burners  disposed  in  neat  chandeliers 
of  two  and  three  lights  each,  projecting  from  the  galleries. 
This  leaves  the  ceiling,  beautiful  in  design  and  execution, 
and  rising  thirty-five  feet  above  the  floor,  open  to  view. 
The  Hall  contains  several  fine  portraits  of  officials  of  the 
Society,  and  of  men  prominent  in  the  history  of  Georgia 
and  the  South.  Four  large  walnut  tables  display  the  papers, 
periodicals  and  magazines  of  the  Library,  and  furnish  to 
visitors  every  facility  for  reading  and  writing. 

At  the  head  of  the  Hall  and  fronting  the  entrance,  is  a 
platform  or  rostrum  for  public  speaking.  To  the  rear  and 
above  this  is  the  admirable  portrait  of  Mr.  Hodgson,  one  of 
the  earliest  and  most  valuable  members  of  the  Society,  and 
for  over  twenty-five  years  one  of  its  Curators,  and  in  whose 
honor  and  to  whose  memory  the  building  was  erected.  This 
elegant  picture,  full  length  and  of  natural  size,  has  just  been 
placed  in  position.  It  was  ordered  by  Mrs.  Hodgson  for 
this  Hall,  and  its  painting  occupied  for  a  year  the  time  of 
the  artist,  Mr.  Carl  L.  Brandt,  of  New  York.  This  finely 
executed  portrait  is  a  striking  likeness,  and  its  accessories 


8 


are  in  excellent  keeping  with  the  tastes  of  a  literary  man. 
It  represents  Mr.  Hodgson  in  his  library,  standing  by  a 
table — an  arm-chair  and  a  book-case  in  the  background — 
in  the  act  of  turning  the  leaves  of  a  volume.  Lying  on 
the  table  are  books  and  papers  and  a  scroll  covered  with 
Arabic  characters,  symbolic  of  Mr.  Hodgson’s  studies.  The 
features,  dress  and  attitude  of  the  figure  give  a  life-like 
appearance  of  Mr.  Hodgson,  and,  with  the  brilliant  light 
and  the  faithful  reproduction  of  the  appurtenances  of  a 
library,  betoken  the  genius  of  the  artist.  Beneath  the  pic¬ 
ture  is  a  marble  slab,  bearing  in  gilt  letters  this  inscription : 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

WILLIAM  BLOWN  HODGSON, 

THIS  BUILDING  IS  ERECTED  BY 

MARGARET  TELFAIR  HODGSON, 

ANNO  DOMINI  1873. 

The  open  lot  on  the  side  of  Hodgson  Hall  gives  a 
fine  southern  exposure  to  the  building,  and  secures  free 
circulation  of  air.  It  is  intended  to  cultivate  in  this  lot 
the  various  shrubs  and  plants  belonging  to  the  Flora  of 
Georgia. 


DEDICATION  CEREMONIES. 


Although  Hodgson  Hall  was  finished  six  months  ago,  and 
the  Georgia  Historical  Society  moved  its  library  thither  in 
September,  1875,  yet  formal  possession  was  not  delivered, 
nor  the  ceremonies  of  dedication  performed,  until  the  Society’s 
Thirty-Seventh  Anniversary,  February  14,  1876.  On  the 
evening  of  that  day,  these,  the  first  public  services  in  this 
Hall,  took  place  at  8  o’clock.  Notwithstanding  the  inclem¬ 
ency  of  the  weather — a  heavy  rain  prevailing  all  the  after¬ 
noon,  and  becoming  violent  towards  night — the  large  Hall 
was  well  filled.  The  attendance  of  ladies  was  remarkable, 
and  every  grade  of  society  was  represented  by  its  most  in¬ 
telligent  members.  Under  the  circumstances,  the  large  and 
appreciative  auditory  was  highly  complimentary  to  the  His¬ 
torical  Society,  and  a  proof  as  wTell  of  the  interest  felt  in  its 
success,  as  of  the  respect  of  our  cultivated  citizens  for  the 
late  Mr.  Hodgson  and  his  generous  family. 

The  music,  which  was  of  a  high  order  and  very  finely 
rendered,  was  in  charge  of  Prof.  Schultze.  A  number  of 
amateur  vocalists,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  with  the  piano, 
occupied  the  gallery  just  above  the  rostrum,  and  performed 
their  parts  admirably. 

On  the  platform,  in  front  of  the  portrait,  were  seated 
General  Henry  R.  Jackson,  President  of  the  Society,  Eev. 
Dr.  I.  S.  K.  Axson,  and  Dr.  R.  D.  Arnold.  The  ceremonies 
began  as  follows : 

2 


10 


MUSIC. 

“Mighty  Jehovah ’’—Chorus  from  “I  Martin,”  .  .  Donizetti. 

PRAYER. 

By  Rev.  I.  S.  K.  Axsov,  .  Of  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church. 

MUSIC. 

“  Spirit  Immortal  ” — Bass,  Solo  and  Chorus,  ....  Verdi. 

THE  FORMAL  DELIVERY. 

After  the  singing,  Mr.  William  S.  Bogart,  Treasurer  of 
the  Society,  representing  General  A.  B.  Lawton,  one  of  the 
Curators  who  had  been  appointed  to  make  the  formal  de¬ 
livery  of  the  building,  addressing  the  assemblage,  said : 

In  the  necessary  absence  from  this  inaugural  service,  of 
General  Lawton,  who  was  in  person  to  convey,  as  trustee, 
this  beautiful  Memorial  Hall  to  the  Georgia  Historical 
Society,  he  has  executed  this  duty  through  a  letter  written 
to  the  President  and  members  of  the  Society,  which  I  am 
requested  by  him  to  read  to  this  auditory.  In  connection 
therewith,  and  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  Hodgson  Hall, 
I  shall  also  read  Miss  Telfair’s  Deed,  made  to  him,  of  this 
property,  in  trust  for  the  Society. 

I  can  only  regret  that,  while  any  substitute  may  per¬ 
form  General  Lawton’s  official  task  under  this  Deed,  and 
deliver  the  papers  containing  this  noble  gift,  no  one  can 
supply  his  absence ;  and  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Sa¬ 
vannah,  will  therefore  lose  those  words  of  interest  and  elo¬ 
quence,  and  miss  that  impressive  and  graceful  oratory, 
with  which  he  would  have  adorned  a  service  in  itself  so 
business-like  and  dry. 

GENERAL  LAWTON’S  LETTER. 

“Atlanta,  Ga.,  February  12,  1876. 
“To  the  President  and  Members  of  the  Georgia  Historical 
Society : 

“1  have  contemplated  with  pleasure  the  prospect  of  being 


11 


with  you  and  taking  part  personally  in  the  interesting 
ceremonies  of  the  14th  instant,  but  public  duties  of  an 
imperative  nature  require  my  presence  elsewhere,  and  I  am 
denied  that  privilege. 

“  I  beg  to  exhibit  to  you,  by  the  hand  of  another,  the 
Title  deed  of  the  Hodgson  Memorial  Hall,  which  was  exe¬ 
cuted  by  the  late  Miss  Mary  Telfair  during  her  lifetime. 
By  this  conveyance  to  me  in  trust,  I  was  charged  with  the 
duty  of  surrendering  the  Hall  for  the  use  of  the  Georgia 
Historical  Society,  when  the  terms  of  the  gift  should  be 
complied  with  by  its  managers,  and  the  building  completed. 
That  period  has  now  arrived.  According  to  the  terms  of 
the  trust,  I  now  deliver  up  the  building  and  premises  for 
the  use  of  the  Society. 

“  This  beautiful  structure  had  its  origin  in  the  desire  of 
the  late  Mrs.  Margaret  Telfair  Hodgson  to  erect  a  memorial 
of  her  husband,  the  late  William  B.  Hodgson,  for  many 
years  a  distinguished  member  of  the  Georgia  Historical 
Society.  Her  death  occurred  while  the  building  was  still  in 
progress  and  without  any  formal  provision  having  been 
made  for  its  completion.  Miss  Telfair  then  undertook  to 
carry  out  the  designs  of  Mrs.  Hodgson,  and  w'as  loyal  to 
her  sister  in  the  faithful  execution  of  her  wishes  and  plans. 

“As  this  building  represents  the  devotion  of  the  one  sister 
to  the  wish  of  the  other,  so  does  Miss  Telfair’s  will — which, 
from  the  number  and  munificence  of  its  literary,  religious, 
and  charitable  bequests,  has  made  her  death  an  epoch  in 
the  history  of  Savannah— represent  the  benevolent  purposes 
of  both  herself  and  Mrs.  Hodgson. 

“  These  bequests,  matured  by  the  thoughts  of  many  years, 
were  mainly  decided  upon  by  them  during  their  joint  lives; 
and  the  agreement  between  them  was  that  the  survivor 
should  give  legal  effect  to  the  joint  will  of  both. 


12 


“Thus  it  is,  that  to  the  two  sisters — Mary  Telfair  and 
Margaret  Telfair  Hodgson,  united  in  beneficence  to  the 
public,  as  in  family  affection — the  Georgia  Historical  Society 
owes  the  devise  of  the  Telfair  family  mansion,  standing  on 
the  historic  site  of  our  old  royal  Governor’s  residence, 
imposing  in  size  and  admirable  in  architecture ;  and  the 
handsome  bequest  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  sup¬ 
port  it  as  the  ‘  Telfair  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences.’ 

“  To  the  two  sisters  unitedly  are  likewise  due  the  bequests 
to  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church  of  Savannah,  to 
the  Union  Society,  to  the  Widows’  Society,  to  the  Presby¬ 
terian  Church  of  Augusta;  and  the  excellent  establishment 
provided  for  the  suffering  poor  women  of  Savannah — the 
*  Telfair  Hospital  for  Females.’ 

“  Thus  have  these  last  two  members  of  the  historic  family 
of  Telfair  left  behind  them  proofs  of  patriotism  and  benevo¬ 
lence,  that  will  long  keep  its  memory  fresh  in  the  hearts 
of  our  people. 

“Very  respectfully, 

“Your  obedient  servant, 

“A.  R.  Lawton.” 

miss  telfair’s  trust  deed. 

“  State  of  Georgia, 

“ Chatham  County. 

“  Whereas,  the  late  Margaret  Telfair  Hodgson,  of  the  city 
of  Savannah,  State  of  Georgia,  during  her  lifetime,  com¬ 
menced  the  erection  of  a  structure  or  building  on  lot  number 
fourteen  (14),  Forsyth  Ward,  being  the  southwest  corner  of 
Gaston  and  Whitaker  streets,  in  the  city  of  Savannah,  to 
be  called  Hodgson  Hall,  and  intended  to  complete  the  same 
on  a  plan  furnished  by  Detlef  Lienau,  architect,  as  a 
memorial  of  her  late  husband,  William  Brown  Hodgson,  but 


13 


for  the  express  use  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society,  on 
certain  terms  and  conditions  made  known  to  said  Historical 
Society,  which  are  hereinafter  enumerated  more  in  detail ; 

“And  whereas,  the  said  Margaret  Telfair  Hodgson  departed 
this  life  while  said  building  or  structure  was,  as  it  now  is, 
unfinished  and  incomplete,  leaving  a  last  will  and  testament, 
without  any  specific  directions  therein  as  to  the  completion 
and  disposition  of  said  lot  and  building,  and  also  leaving 
Mary  Telfair  as  her  residuary  legatee ; 

“And  whereas,  the  said  Mary  Telfair  is  desirous  to  carry 
into  effect  the  wishes  and  intentions  of  the  said  Margaret 
Telfair  Hodgson  in  the  premises,  and  to  charge  the  residuum 
of  said  estate  with  the  cost  and  expense  of  erecting  and 
completing  said  building  or  structure  on  the  proposed  plan: 

“Now,  This  Indenture  witnesseth,  that  the  said  Mary  Tel¬ 
fair,  of  the  city  of  Savannah  and  State  of  Georgia,  for  and 
in  consideration  of  the  premises,  and  of  the  sum  of  five  dol¬ 
lars  to  her  in  hand  paid  by  Alexander  B.  Lawton,  of  the  same 
city  and  State,  hath  granted,  bargained,  sold,  conveyed,  and 
confirmed,  and  by  these  presents  doth  grant,  bargain,  sell, 
convey,  and  confirm  unto  the  said  Alexander  B.  Lawton,  his 
executors  and  administrators,  all  that  said  lot  or  parcel  of 
land  in  the  city  of  Savannah  and  State  of  Georgia,  known 
as  lot  number  fourteen  (14),  Forsyth  Ward,  with  the  buildings 
and  improvements  now  thereon,  in  an  unfinished  and  incom¬ 
plete  state,  but  to  be  finished  and  completed  at  the  proper 
cost  and  expense  of  the  said  Mary  Telfair,  for  which  pur¬ 
pose  the  said  Mary  Telfair  does  hereby  charge  the  entire 
residuum  of  the  estate  of  the  said  Margaret  Telfair  Hodgson, 
in  her  own  hands  now  as  residuary  legatee,  or  in  the  hands 
of  her  executors  after  her  death,  to  such  extent  as  will 
furnish  the  means  and  funds  necessary  to  finish  and  com¬ 
plete  said  building  or  structure,  to  be  known  as  Hodgson 


14 


Hall,  on  the  plan  prepared  for  that  purpose,  or  as  nearly 
so  as  practicable ;  to  have  and  to  hold  the  said  lot  of  land 
and  improvements,  now  and  hereafter  to  be  put  upon  the 
same,  to  him  the  said  Alexander  R.  Lawton,  his  executors 
and  administrators  forever: 

“  In  trust  nevertheless,  to  permit  the  Georgia  Historical 
Society  to  have  the  exclusive  use,  possession,  control,  and 
management  of  said  building  and  lot,  provided  said  Society 
will,  through  its  proper  officers,  accept  the  same  on  the 
following  terms  and  conditions,  to-wit :  That  the  said  build¬ 
ing  shall  be  known  as,  and  called,  Hodgson  Hall ;  that  no 
public  speaking  shall  be  permitted  within  the  walls  of  said 
building,  except  under  the  auspices  or  connected  with  the 
business  of  said  Georgia  Historical  Society ;  that  no  enter¬ 
tainments  or  amusements  of  any  kind,  which  include  or 
involve  eating,  drinking,  or  smoking,  be  permitted  Avitliin 
the  walls  of  said  building ;  that  the  building  is  never  to  be 
rented  or  lent  out  for  any  purpose  whatsoever ;  and  further, 
that  under  the  portrait  of  the  said  William  BroAvn  Hodgson, 
which  is  to  be  hung  on  the  wall  of  said  building,  shall  be 
inscribed,  in  permanent  letters,  the  following  Avords :  “In 
Memoriam,  William  Brown  Hodgson;  this  building  is  erected 
by  Margaret  Telfair  Hodgson,  A.  D.,  1873,”  or  other  words 
of  similar  import;  and  that  the  other  conditions,  on  which 
the  use  and  control  of  the  building  are  committed  to  the 
Georgia  Historical  Society  shall  also  appear  conspicuously 
on  the  wall  of  the  principal  Hall  in  the  building. 

“  In  witness  whereof,  the  said  Mary  Telfair  hath  hereunto 
set  her  hand  and  seal  this  tenth  day  of  June,  in  the  year 
eighteen  hundred  and  seventy-four. 

“Mary  Telfair,  [l. s.] 

“  Signed,  sealed  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of 

“D.  R.  Groover,  William  J.  Marshall. 

“Notary  Public  G.  (7.,  Ga.” 


15 


To  you,  Mr.  President  and  gentlemen  of  the  Georgia 
Historical  Society,  I  now  deliver  these  official  documents, 
just  read,  and  I  deem  it  an  honor  to  be  the  medium  of 
conveying  into  your  possession  this  fine  Memorial  Hall, 
alike  a  compliment  to  our  honored  Society,  and  a  credit 
to  the  noble  women,  whose  benefactions  you  will  long  con¬ 
tinue  to  enjoy. 

The  President,  Hon.  Henry  R.  Jackson,  receiving  these 
papers  in  behalf  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society,  made 
the  following  eloquent  response : 

THE  PRESIDENT’S  ADDRESS. 

Fellow-citizens  of  Savannah : 

In  the  formal  and  public  delivery  to  the  Georgia  Histori¬ 
cal  Society  of  an  edifice  like  this,  so  commodious  and  so 
tasteful  in  all  of  its  appointments,  so  admirably  adapted,  in 
this  beautiful  Hall,  to  the  uses  of  a  Library,  it  was  but  just 
to  the  memory  of  the  donors  that  our  attention  should  be 
directed  to  another  and  a  kindred  benefaction.  Originating 
both  in  the  same  source,  to  be  devoted,  both,  through  the 
medium  of  the  Historical  Society,  to  the  same  public  object, 
(I  mean  to  the  recreation  and  the  intellectual  culture  of  the 
community),  the  Hodgson  Memorial  Building  and  the  Telfair 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  must  needs  stand  together 
in  close  association.  In  full  view,  then,  of  donations  so 
munificent,  all  the  more  to  be  remembered  in  the  future 
because  they  are  quite  without  precedent  in  the  past  history 
of  Savannah,  it  would  seem  as  if  this  occasion  should  be 
specially  characterized  by  strong  expressions  of  gratitude. 
But  alas!  ere  this  structure  was  completed,  both  of  the 
donors  had  passed  beyond  the  reach  of  thanks.  Benefac¬ 
tresses  of  the  public  of  Savannah,  not  simply  unrivaled 


16 


but  absolutely  unapproached,  none  would  have  depre¬ 
cated  more  earnestly  than  they,  while  living,  any  public 
manifestation  of  gratitude;  and,  as  though  Death  himself 
had  been  tenderly  considerate  of  natures  so  nobly  delicate, 
so  exquisitely  sensitive,  ere  this  occasion  for  public  demon¬ 
stration  had  fully  matured,  they  shrank,  before  the  approach 
of  praise,  into  the  stillness  of  Bonaventure. 

It  is  possible  that  there  may  be  things  which  might  well 
have  been  said  heretofore;  idle  to  undertake  to  say  them 
now !  Words,  even  of  the  “charmer,  charm  he  never  so 
wisely,”  are  impotent  to  stir  the  dull,  cold  ear  of  death. 
Not  by  our  words,  then,  but  by  our  acts,  are  we  to  manifest 
our  high  appreciation  of  these  noble  gifts.  We,  gentlemen 
of  the  Historical  Society,  we  are  to  remember  that  the 
conditions  of  our  trust  are  sacred;  moist  with  a  widow’s 
and  a  lonely  sister’s  tears,  none  the  less  copiously  because 
silently  shed.  We  are  ever  to  be  mindful  of  the  fact  that 
here,  in  this  spacious  hall,  the  high  public  interests  which 
we  represent  are  to  be  associated  with  a  private  memory, 
in  perpetual  companionship.  Surely,  that  was  a  beautiful 
thought  —  to  connect  the  memory  of  the  beloved  dead 
with  the  mighty  memories  of  the  Library.  What  a  grand 
companionship  is  here!  What  a  deathless  society  sur¬ 
rounds  us ! 

And  a  society  which  had  given  to  the  life  of  the  dead 
scholar  a  life-long  charm.  For,  in  the  honest  sense  of 
the  term,  Mr.  Hodgson  was  a  scholar.  From  his  earliest 
years,  from  the  first  budding  of  his  intellectual  tastes,  the 
companionship  of  books  had  been  more  to  him  than  the 
companionship  of  men;  and  the  tendency  of  his  nature 
giving  direction  to  the  tendency  of  his  life,  both  had  com¬ 
bined  to  make  him  the  scholar.  To  his  early  fondness 
for  books,  to  his  passion  even  in  tender  childhood  for  the 


17 


study  of  language,  and  more  especially  the  languages  of 
the  East,  is  to  be  ascribed  his  early  connection  with  the 
diplomatic  service,  which  took  him  to  the  richest  garden 
of  scholarship ;  took  him  to  the  East — to  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  around  which  all  most  brilliant  in  history  glitters. 
Unlike  the  man  of  science — the  man  of  discovery — who 
naturally  looks  to  new  realms  of  earth,  or  sea,  or  sky,  which 
are  yet  to  be  fully  explored;  unlike  the  practical  man — 
the  man  of  action — wdio,  with  eye  steadily  turned  to  the 
future,  pioneers  the  star  of  empire  upon  her  westward 
course,  the  man  of  letters,  the  man  of  taste,  the  man  of 
reflection,  the  schoiar,  must  needs  stand  with  eye  lovingly 
fixed  upon  the  past,  and  with  arms  outstretched  yearningly 
toward  the  East.  To  the  realms  of  the  East !  which  were 
brooded  over  by  the  oldest  civilizations ;  where  the  streams 
of  history  glimmer  away  into  the  dim,  oftentimes  the  tan¬ 
talizing,  but  at  all  times  the  tempting  and  inspiring  tradition  • 
whence  comes  to  his  ear,  as  he  listens,  the  first  sob  of 
human  existence;  where  thought  first  stirred  the  air  to 
intelligible  sound,  and,  embodying  herself  in  letters,  took 
possession  of  her  invisible  but  her  immortal  empire ;  where 
the  horizon,  as  he  looks,  touches  the  earth,  and  the  voices 
of  heaven  are  heard  by  men ;  to  the  realms  of  the  East ! — 
the  weary,  doubtless,  but  still  the  living — the  languid,  it 
may  be,  but  none  the  less  ravishing — -a  magnetic  power 
attracts  him. 

The  imagination  and  the  heart  of  the  boy  were  full  of 
the  Orient.  To  get  to  the  East  became  the  passion  of 
his  youth.  To  study  the  languages  of  the  East  was  to 
him  but  a  labor  of  love.  Strange  taste  for  Washington, 
the  city  of  his  birth!  Intellectual  plant  singularly  exotic 
in  Virginia,  whither,  by  a  widowed  mother,  he  was  taken ! 
No  university,  no  academy,  no  professor,  to  give  it  culture! 


3 


18 


The  silent  Book  was  his  only  teacher;  the  pulseless  Book, 
his  only  sympathizing  friend!  But  the  Library,  taking 
the  spiritual  boy  into  her  arms,  filled  for  him  the  place 
of  private  fortune,  of  family  influence,  of  partizan  patron¬ 
age.  By  sheer  force  of  his  attainments  as  an  Oriental 
linguist  she  made  him  a  necessity  fco  government.  He 
owed  his  early  appointment  of  Dragoman  to  the  Barbary 
States,  neither  to  Henry  Clay,  the  Premier,  nor  to  John 
Quincy  Adams,  the  President:  the  Library  sent  her  de¬ 
voted  child  to  the  East. 

Certainly  the  first,  probably  the  only,  American  diplo¬ 
matist,  who  was  at  all  trained  for  liis  profession ;  and 
looking  through  his  profession  rather  to  the  personal  ends 
of  scholarship  than  to  the  personal  ends  of  ambition, 
we  can  readily  picture  to  ourselves  the  emotions  which 
thrilled  his  bosom  as  he  saw  the  rich  opportunities,  so 
long  and  so  ardently  coveted,  full  before  him ;  when  the 
Mediterranean  first  flashed  upon  his  vision  its  classic 
waters.  There,  upon  its  borders,  was  he  to  become  familiar 
with  the  picturesque  life  of  the  East.  There,  at  original 
fountain  sources,  was  he  to  slake  his  thirst  for  language. 
But  the  study  of  language  of  necessity  involves  the  study 
of  races — tlieir  origin,  their  history,  their  laws,  their  arts — 
in  short,  their  civilization  as  compared  with  the  higher 
civilizations  of  the  world.  And  this,  of  like  necessity, 
involves  a  philosophic  study  of  civilization  itself.  There, 
then,,  as,  full  of  youth,  and  hope,  and  intelligence,  and 
impressibility,  he  should  move  from  one  point  to  another 
over  the  historic  region  which  constituted  the  heart  of 
the  Roman  Universe ;  there  was  he  to  gather  rich  intellectual 
stores,  which  should  feed  his  silent  thought  in  his  after 
years;  quickening  memories!  which,  as  he  should  sit  alone 
in  the  quiet  precincts  of  his  library,  were  to  pass  in  gor- 


19 


geous  review  before  him ;  quite  as  foreign  to  the  life  around 
him  as  the  movement  of  an  Arabic  caravan  across  the 
desert. 

But  here  I  pray  that  I  be  not  misunderstood.  It  was 
the  characteristic  element  of  Mr.  Hodgson’s  scholarship, 
not  the  controlling  sympathies  of  his  nature,  which  was 
foreign  to  the  men  and  things  immediately  about  him  in 
the  later  years  of  his  life.  For,  while  scholarship  was  un¬ 
doubtedly  to  him,  what  one  would  suppose  it  must  be 
to  every  true  and  thorough  scholar,  its  own  great  reward; 
making  the  scholar  a  companion  all-sufficient  unto  himself — 
never  less  alone  than  when  alone ;  yet  his  was  not  the  icy, 
exclusive  scholarship  which  in  consummating  the  gentleman 
sometimes  destroys  the  citizen,  freezing  within  him  all 
sources  of  interest  in  the  lives  of  others — in  the  general 
life  of  the  community  around  him.  When,  in  1842,  Mr. 
Hodgson  retired  from  the  diplomatic  service  of  the  United 
States,  and  made  his  home  in  Savannah,  many  of  us  will 
remember  how  rapidly  he  became,  in  interest,  in  affection, 
in  hope,  in  destiny,  a  Georgian.  Nay!  we  know  that  he 
was  animated  by  a  living  public  spirit,  a  pure  public 
spirit;  I  mean  the  public  spirit  of  a  private  gentleman 
who  aspired  to  no  political  preferment.  Ever  the  gener¬ 
ous  supporter  of  all  measures  which  looked  to  the 
development  of  the  commercial  prosperity  of  Savannah, 
and  to  the  welfare  of  her  people  at  large,  he  was  more 
especially  the  efficient  friend  of  young  and  struggling 
enterprises,  of  young  and  struggling  men ;  keeping  ever 
in  active  operation  a  certain  capital,  devoted  exclusively 
to  these  quiet  ends.  Naturally,  the  same  shrinking  mod¬ 
esty,  which  characterized  an  organization  of  extreme  deli¬ 
cacy,  and  which  generally  set  a  seal  of  absolute  silence 
upon  his  exotic  scholarship,  also  marked  his  charity.  Im- 


20 


possible  for  him  to  make  a  parade  of  either !  And  yet 
it  was  well  known  to  those  who  knew  him  best,  that  a 
worthy  draft  upon  neither  was  ever  by  him  dishonored. 
To  him — to  his  pure  public  spirit — are  we  indebted  for 
the  first  conception  of  the  park;  our  beautiful  park.  He 
first  enclosed  it,  as  it  lay  in  the  primal  forest;  the  forest 
of  pines,  whose  sad  and  sea-like  music,  when  stirred  by 
the  breeze,  had  happily  chimed  with  the  musings  of  the 
solitary  scholar  as  he  walked  beneath  their  shade. 

But  I  am  admonished  by  the  spirit  of  this  occasion; 
by  the  reasons  which  prompted  his  generous  widow  to 
erect  this  building  as  a  fitting  monument  to  his  memory ; 
by  the  character  of  the  Society  to  which  it  has  been  given 
in  trust ;  by  the  immediate  uses  to  which  it  has  been 
applied;  by  the  suggestive  presence  of  the  Library — I  am 
admonished  that  our  special  attention  should  be  directed, 
not  to  the  official  career  or  personal  life  of  Mr.  Hodgson, 
but  rather  to  his  career,  to  his  attainments,  to  his  repu¬ 
tation,  as  a  scholar. 

But  he^re  it  is  that  we  do  indeed  encounter  elements 
which  are  altogether  foreign  to  the  life  of  Savannah.  The 
accomplished  Oriental  scholar!  how  was  it  possible  for 
him  to  be  appreciated  here  ?  to  be  appreciated  by  us, 
none  of  whom,  by  opportunity  or  by  occupation,  had  been 
led  to  make  a  study  of  the  East?  It  was  but  natural, 
therefore,  that  he  should  be,  as  it  is  no  exaggeration  to 
say  that  he  was,  far  better  known  as  a  scholar  in  London 
or  in  Paris  than  in  Savannah.  To  undertake,  then,  upon 
this  occasion  to  analyze  his  scholarship,  or  to  place  a  com¬ 
parative  estimate  upon  him  as  a  scholar,  would  be  as 
unbecoming  in  me  as  to  you  it  would  be  unprofitable. 
Better  turn  to  the  estimate  placed  upon  him  by  others — 
by  his  literary  comrades,  themselves  active  and  distin- 


21 


guished  in  the  world  of  letters.  I  read  the  following 
sentences  from  an  article  published  in  the  North  American 
Revieio  during  its  palmiest  days,  in  the  year  1832.  The 
words  introduce  a  highly  complimentary  criticism  of  two 
of  Mr.  Hodgson’s  works  on  the  Berber  language. 

“These  publications  exhibit  very  satisfactory  evidences 
of  the  zeal  and  industry  with  which  Mr.  Hodgson  em¬ 
ployed  the  opportunities  afforded  him  by  his  residence 
at  the  Consulate  at  Algiers,  for  the  purpose  of  extending 
his  own  knowledge  of  foreign  languages,  and  increasing 
the  general  stock  of  pliilos  )phical  learning.  The  want  of 
a  competent  Oriental  interpreter  had  been ,  sensibly  felt 
at  the  Department  of  State  on  several  occasions  of  con¬ 
siderable  importance,  and  Mr.  Hodgson  was  attached  to 
the  Consulate  at  Algiers,  then  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Slialer,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  him  to  qualify  himself 
for  this  service.  He  had  previously  exhibited  a  decided 
talent  for  the  acquisition  of  foreign,  and  particularly  Orien¬ 
tal  languages,  and  the  results  of  his  studies  at  Algiers 
proved  that  the  selection  was  judicious  and  fortunate.  We 
are  glad  to  perceive  that  though  withdrawn  from  Algiers, 
Mr.  Hodgson  has  been  retained  in  the  public  service  by  the 
present  administration,  and  that  he  has  been  recently  at¬ 
tached  to  the  legation  at  Constantinople,  in  the  quality 
of  Interpreting  Secretary.  This  situation  is  still  more  favor¬ 
able  for  literary  and  philological  researches  than  the  other, 
and  we  look  forward  with  high  expectations  to  the  fruits 
of  his  labors  in  this  rich  field.” 

I  read  next  from  a  volume  published  in  the  year  1873, 
the  long  interval — forty-one  years — between  the  dates  of 
the  two  eulogistic  references  to  Mr.  Hodgson,  itself  indi¬ 
cating  the  firm  grasp  which  his  scholarship  had  fixed  upon 


22 


the  literary  world.  I  read  the  dedication  by  Dr.  Mayo  of 
his  work,  “The  Berber.” 

“  To  William  B.  Hodgson ,  Esq. : 

“  Sir — To  no  one  could  a  work  bearing  the  title  of  ‘  The 
Berber’  be  more  appropriately  inscribed  than  to  yourself, 
for  no  one  has  done  more  to  elucidate  the  ethnography 
of  that  mysterious  and  interesting  people.  Your  transla¬ 
tions  of  a  portion  of  the  Gospels  into  the  Berber  tongue ; 
your  vocabulary  of  words  and  phrases ;  your  valuable  essays 
in  relation  to  the  divisions,  history  and  customs  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Atlas — the  results  of  your  personal  ob¬ 
servations  while  engaged  in  the  diplomatic  service  of  the 
United  States  at  Algiers  and  at  Tunis — have  been  noticed 
in  the  most  flattering  terms  by  Pritchard  and  other  dis¬ 
tinguished  ethnographers.  Of  course,  my  testimony  can 
add  nothing  to  the  estimate  placed  upon  your  labors  by 
those  best  qualified  to  judge;  but  it  is  a  gratification  to 
me  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness,  and  to  express  the 
feelings  of  personal  friendship  and  consideration,  with 
which  I  am,  your  obedient  servant,  The  Author.” 

The  appreciation  placed  upon  the  scholarship  of  Mr. 
Hodgson  by  the  scholastic  world — by  the  savans  of  both 
hemispheres — is  exhibited  in  the  literary  distinctions  which 
were  bestowed  upon  him.  He  was  made  a  foreign  member 
of  the  Iioyal  Asiatic  Society  of  London ;  a  member  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia ;  a 
foreign  member  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Paris ;  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Oriental  Society  of  Boston,  and  of  the  Ethno¬ 
logical  Society  of  New  York;  a  foreign  member  of  the 
Ethnological  Society  of  Paris ;  and  the  degrees,  first  of  Mas¬ 
ter  of  Arts,  and  next  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  were  conferred 
upon  him  by  the  University  of  Princeton — conferred  upon 
him  who  had  never  taken  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 


23 


from  any  institution  of  learning;  who  owed  his  education 
and  all  of  his  opportunities,  and  all  of  his  attainments 
and  honors,  to  his  own  efforts,  and  to  the  Library. 

In  the  Library,  then,  does  his  image  find  its  appropriate 
place.*  From  the  Library  can  he  legitimately  speak, 
through  the  history  of  his  life,  earnest  words  of  invita¬ 
tion.  Come !  and  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  great, 
the  wise,  the  gifted  of  earth  —  not  as  they  lived  in  ma¬ 
terial  forms,  with  the  frailties  of  our  common  humanity 
about  them,  but  as,  in  moments  of  purest  inspiration 
and  sublimest  achievement,  they  became,  in  books,  im¬ 
mortal.  In  your  hours  of  loneliness,  come !  and  they 
will  give  you  companionship.  In  your  hours  of  depres¬ 
sion,  come!  and  they  will  give  you  encouragement.  In 
your  thirst  for  knowledge,  come!  and  they  will  give  you 
purest  water.  Here  are  companions  who  will  ever  respond 
promptly  to  your  call ;  who  will  never  weary  of  your 
presence.  Here  are  friends,  who  will  advise  and  instruct, 
exalt  and  purify,  cheer  and  charm  you;  who  will  never 
sting  or  deceive,  desert  or  deny,  malign  or  betray  you. 
These  wer e  my  friends,  come!  and  make  them  yours! 

This  beautiful  and  touching  address,  the  fitting  eulogium 
of  a  scholar  by  a  man  of  genius  and  culture,  was  received 
with  the  most  hearty  applause. 

MUSIC. 

Quartette, . .  Mendelssohn. 


*  At  this  point  in  the  address,  General  Jackson  gracefully  turned  to  the 
portrait,  which,  up  to  this  time,  was  veiled  and  had  not  yet  been  seen  by 
the  public;  the  curtains  were  withdrawn,  and  the  gaze  of  the  assembly  was 
fixed  on  the  living  features  of  Mr.  Hodgson.  To  hundreds  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  who  remembered  liim  so  well,  it  was  a  delightful  surprise  to  see  his 
familiar  form  and  face  in  the  appropriate  surroundings  of  his  library,  and 
depicted  so  naturally  on  the  enduring  canvas. 


24 


Dr.  B.  D.  Arnold,  one  of  the  three  original  founders 
of  the  Society,  and  now  its  oldest  Curator,  then  read  the 
following  paper,  commemorative  of  the  Society’s  first  Cor¬ 
responding  Secretary, 


I.  K.  TEFFT,  ESQ. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society : 

Ingenuas  didicisse  fideliter  artes 
Emollit  mores,  nec  sinit  esse  feros. 

“  To  have  studied  carefully  the  liberal  arts  is  the  surest 
mode  of  refining  the  grossness,  and  subduing  the  harshness 
of  the  human  mind.” 

The  ceremonies  which  you  have  just  witnessed  mark  an 
important  epoch  in  the  annals  of  the  Georgia  Historical 
Society.  It  has  been  made  the  recipient  of  a  fine  and 
costly  building,  to  be  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  literary 
culture,  which  fact  attests  alike  the  generosity  of  the  donors 
and  their  refined  taste.  I  say  donors,  without  pretending 
to  legal  accuracy,  because,  called  as  this  building  is,  “  Hodg¬ 
son  Hall,”  erected  to  commemorate  his  name,  we  have 
ample  proof  that  it  is  but  the  consummation  of  a  long 
cherished  intention  of  those  three  individuals,  William  B. 
Hodgson,  Mrs.  Hodgson,  and  Miss  Mary  Telfair,  enter¬ 
tained  during  their  lives,  and  I  trace  its  inception  to  the 
literary  culture  which  so  eminently  distinguished  the  gentle¬ 
man  after  whom  this  Hall  is  named,  and  to  the  influence 
shed  by  his  example  on  the  two  intelligent  ladies  with 
whom  he  was  so  long  connected.  They  lived  in  an  intel¬ 
lectual  atmosphere.  Hence  the  familiar  quotation  which 
I  have  adopted  as  a  m^tto,  came  to  my  mind  as  appropriate 
to  the  memory  of  so  amiable  a  man  and  so  accomplished 
scholar  as  the  late  William  B.  Hodgson. 


25 


But  recollection  brought  back  to  my  memory  the  name 
of  another  man  to  whom  the  sentiment  of  the  quotation 
is  equally  applicable,  whose  literary  tastes  laid  the  corner¬ 
stone  of  our  Society,  and  whose  unobtrusive  but  useful 
career  in  life  may  be  properly  pointed  out  as  an  example 
for  our  rising  generation,  and-  as  an  illustration  of  the 
elevating  tendencies  of  literary  culture.  I  allude  to  the 
late  Israel  K.  Tefft,  with  whom  many  of  you  were  personally 
familiar,  and  whose  portrait  now  adorns  our  walls.  I 
have  thought  that  a  short  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Tefft 
would  not  be  without  interest  or  instruction  on  an  impor¬ 
tant  occasion  like  the  present,  and  would  show  the  effect 
which  his  literary  tastes  had  on  securing  him  an  honorable 
position  during  life,  and  affectionate  memories  after  death. 

Israel  Keech  Tefft  was  born  at  Smithfield,  Rhode  Is¬ 
land,  February  12,  1795.  When  he  was  three  years  old 
his  parents  moved  to  Boston.  He  lost  his  father  when 
he  wTas  only  six  years  old,  and  his  mother  when  he  was 
thirteen.  He  was  thus  thrown  upon  his  own  resources 
at  a  tender  age,  and  was  obliged  to  work  for  a  bare  sup¬ 
port,  which  he  did  on  a  farm  in  Connecticut  whither  he 
had  moved  with  his  brother.  But  (as  showing  his  in¬ 
stincts  for  self-improvement),  he  devoted  a  part  of  his  time 
to  going  to  school. 

While  thus  laboring  on  a  farm,  he  was  sent  to  collect 
a  bill  from  the  wealthy  manufacturing  house  of  James  B. 
Mason  &  Co.  The  bill  was  somewdiat  soiled  and  torn, 
and  Mr.  Mason  making  some  remarks  about  it,  Israel  K. 
Tefft,  then  a  boy  of  thirteen,  said,  “I  will  write  another,” 
at  the  same  time,  stepping  on  a  bench,  for  he  was  small 
for  one  of  his  age,  wrote  out  another.  This  was  done 
with  such  alacrity,  and  the  handwriting  was  so  beautiful  and 
legible,  that  Mr.  Mason  was  not  only  surprised,  but  much 


4 


26 


pleased.  Suffice  it  to  say,  before  the  young  lad  had  left  the 
office  of  the  wealthy  manufacturer,  he  had  been  engaged 
to  write  for  him  on  Saturdays.  This  continued  until  the 
close  of  the  school  session,  when  Mr.  Mason  employed 
him  as  his  book-keeper,  his  brother  William  giving  him 
permission  to  leave  the  farm. 

This  was  a  turning  point  in  Mr.  Tefft’s  life.  He  acquired 
the  confidence  of  his  employers,  and,  in  1816,  he  entered 
into  business  for  himself,  removing  to  Savannah.  Here 
he  pursued  a  successful  business  until  the  end  of  1819, 
when  a  commercial  collapse  ensued,  and  he  fell  amongst 
others.  In  January,  1820,  occurred  the  memorable  fire 
which  laid  one-tliird  of  the  city  in  ashes.  Thus  thrown 
out  of  employment,  he  determined  to  devote  himself  to  a 
literary  career.  A  retrospect  of  the  condition  of  affairs  at 
that  time  is  necessary  for  a  full  understanding. 

On  the  25tli  of  November,  1818,  the  first  number  of 
The  Georgian  was  issued  by  Dr.  John  M.  Harney,  an 
erratic  son  of  genius,  whose  remarkable  “curse  upon  Sa¬ 
vannah”  has  giving  him  an  undying  notoriety  amongst  us. 
Harney  was  a  brilliant  Bohemian,  and  he  exhausted 
the  patience  and  the  purses  of  his  friends,  which  were 
both,  on  a  liberal  scale. 

Mr.  Tefft  saw  his  opportunity.  The  late  distinguished 
actor,  Harry  James  Finn,  came  to  Savannah  in  the  fall  of 
1818,  in  the  dramatic  company  of  Mr.  Gilfert,  when  the 
present  Savannah  Theatre  was  first  opened.  That  com¬ 
pany  was  a  bright  galaxy  of  histrionic  talent.  On  the 
21st  of  March,  1821,  The  Georgian  appeared  with  the 
name  of  Tefft  &  Finn  at  its  head. 

Mr.  Finn  did  not  continue  long  in  his  vocation  as  editor. 
He  resumed  his  profession,  and  adopted  an  entirely  new 
line  of  acting,  and  when  untimely  death  occurred,  from 


27 


his  being  burnt  up  on  a  steamer  on  Long  Island  Sound, 
he  had  acquired  the  reputation  of  the  best  representative 
of  genteel  comedy  who  had  ever  graced  the  American 
stage. 

Mr.  Tefft  edited  the  paper  alone  for  some  time,  when 
he  sold  it  to  Mr.  George  Robertson,  who  afterwards  as¬ 
sociated  his  brother,  William  Kobertson,  with  him.  Mr. 
Tefft  ever  showing  a  lively  interest  in  the  prosperity  of 
the  paper,  and  my  first  intimacy  with  him  commenced 
when,  in  January,  1833,  I  became  joint  editor  and  pro¬ 
prietor  with  my  esteemed  friend  William  H.  Bulloch.  In 
1822  Mr.  Tefft  entered  the  State  Bank  as  a  clerk.  He 
was  gradually  promoted  to  the  tellership  and  finally  to 
the  cashiership,  which  latter  office  he  held  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  He  wTas  elected  cashier  in  1848,  and  he  died 
at  his  residence,  southwest  corner  of  Jones  and  Bull  streets, 
on  the  30th  of  June,  1862. 

When  Mr.  Tefft  gave  up  The  Georgian  he  did  not  give 
up  his  literary  pursuits.  He  took  an  active  part  in  try¬ 
ing  to  develop  American  literature,  which  we  all  know 
was  then  in  its  very  cradle.  I  have  this  night  endeavored 
to  recall  the  history  of  Mr.  Tefft  as  a  tribute  to  an  old 
friend  and  as  a  striking  example  of  the  purifying  and  eleva- 
ing  tendencies  of  cultivating  the  liberal  arts. 

He  was  young  and  married.  His  means  were  most 
limited.  He  boldly  forced  his  fortune,  on  his  clerk's  salary . 
His  literary  researches  took  the  turn  of  autographs.  The 
collections  of  autographs,  particularly  those  illustrating  our 
Revolutionary  history,  became  a  passion  with  him.  Quietly, 
unostentatiously,  he  worked  this  literary  mine.  Patience 
and  perseverance  reaped  their  usual  reward.  Gradually 
he  accumulated  a  rare  and  valuable  collection.  His  reputa¬ 
tion  as  a  successful  autograph  collector  became  spread 


28 


abroad.  He  had  been  particularly  fortunate  in  his  material 
for  Revolutionary  history.  He  had  not  obtained  mere 
signatures,  but  very  many  long  and  interesting  letters 
upon  contemporary  affairs  from  the  hands  of  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  of  those  times.  His  correspond¬ 
ence  with  various  distinguished  collectors  in  all  parts  of 
the  cultivated  world  became  extensive.  His  rich  collection, 
as  to  Revolutionary  matter,  enabled  him  to  supply  his 
correspondents  with  many  valuable  originals  in  exchange 
for  others  of  a  different  era.  Thus  his  autograph  col¬ 
lection  became  one  of  great  extent  and  value,  and  there 
was  no  individual  in  Savannah  who  had  a  more  varied 
and  extensive  literary  acquaintance  than  Mr.  Tefft. 

I  speak  from  a  long  and  intimate  acquaintance,  when 
I  say  that  no  man  of  any  literary  eminence  ever  visited 
Savannah  without  bringing  a  letter  of  introduction  to  him, 
and  I  have  been  indebted  to  him  for  many  pleasant  asso¬ 
ciations  with  men  who  have  adorned  and  who  still  adorn 
American  literature. 

As  I  have  stated  in  a  former  address,  which  you  have 
published  in  your  records,  in  which  I  gave  the  history  of 
the  origin  of  this  Society,  its  formation  had  for  its  corner- 
store  the  valuable  autographic  collection  of  Mr.  Tefft. 

He  entered  into  the  project  with  enthusiasm,  he  worked 
for  it  with  unflagging  zeal  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  never  seemed  tired,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  as  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  see  his  three  sons  cut  off  in  their  man¬ 
hood  (no  lineal  heir  succeeding),  that  the  occupation  thus 
afforded  him  gilded  in  some  measure  the  sunset  of  his  life. 

To  the  older  members  of  the  Society,  the  memory  of 
I.  K.  Tefft  is  inseparably  connected  with  its  history  as 
one  of  its  original  founders,  and  one  of  its  most  zealous 
supporters. 


29 


I  have  wished  to  pay  this  tribute  to  his  memory,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  point  him  out  as  a  signal  example 
of  the  beneficial  effects  of  a  literary  taste,  both  by  its 
having  afforded  him  a  scope  for  real  usefulness  to  society, 
and  by  its  earning  for  him  the  respect  and  affection  of 
his  friends  for  his  kind,  unostentatious  career  during  life. 

Dr.  Arnold’s  address  was  warmly  greeted  as  a  truthful 
tribute  to  the  character  of  Mr.  Tefft,  whose  interest  in 
the  Georgia  Historical  Society  never  flagged  during  the 
long  period  of  twenty-three  years  in  which  he  w^as  its 
Corresponding  Secretary. 

MUSIC. 

“  Lucrezia  Borgia  ” — Chorus . .  Donizetti. 

THE  BENEDICTION 

was  then  pronounced  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Axson,  and  the 
assembly  dispersed,  highly  gratified  with  the  ceremonies 
of  the  public  opening  of  Hodgson  Hall. 

If  exercises  like  these  have  never  occurred  before  in 
the  history  of  this  city,  perhaps  the  example,  thus  com¬ 
memorated,  of  a  liberal  public  spirit  and  a  wise  use  of 
wealth,  will  not  be  hereafter  without  imitators,  to  the 
honor  of  themselves,  and  to  the  lasting  benefit  of 
Savannah. 


/S7f-  0^ 


V 


